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As we wait for summer, or at least warmer days, I see a real desire for greenery and flowers. The other day, as I was checking out of the grocery store, a woman had bought plants. I do not know whether she realized we may still have frost. I have in the past been gifted. I received several hanging basket plants for Mother’s Day and, in the past, proudly put them out on the outside, only to find them frost-bitten or covered in snow. I am very cautious now; the weather in the U.P. can be very contrary. I can tell when it is getting warm, for you see many in shorts and tank tops, we are so starved for the sun, warmth, and in short, summer. Yes, it’s coming, but it’s taking its time.

Mother’s Day is the one day a year when mothers are allowed not to cook or clean. We may just sit and accept the love and praise of those around us. Even strangers will wish you a happy Mother’s Day. I often wonder whether people realize the role mothers play in our society. We almost expect women to step into the role of motherhood and swim with the duties that come with it. Mother is a nurse, a chaplain, a teacher, an organizer, a fixer, and a guide. Every person on this planet has a mother. It matters little where mother is from or what religion or political views she holds. She has brought you into this world, and you, yes, you, have been with your mother nine months, sharing, even before you were born. There is a special and universal bond between mother and child.

One of the things I often wonder about is how my children see me as their mother, which covers a lot of territory of skills and expectations, but how many of them know I love poetry, like museums, and cooking exotic dishes. How well do you know your mother as an Individual? We see our mother as a constant and often miss the human being she is.

The first woman, although created second to man, became the moving force that would ultimately eat the Apple in the garden. There would be many women in the bible who helped bring redemption and God’s plan for his people to fruition. The New Testament begins with a woman, Mary, who will bring the Savior into the world. He will come as us, a small bundle that needs care and love. For women everywhere, our task of giving birth to the new generation has not changed. God has supplied meaning and grace to all mothers. Even in nature, care and protection are vital to the role of a mother to her young.

Your mother is special. The psalms sing to us about mother, ” For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13). What are the expectations of a mother in Scripture? “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”(Proverbs 31:25-26 ).

Your mother will never leave you. Mother will be there to hold you when you are sad. She will be there to bandage your cuts and scrapes, both emotional and physical. Even when she passes, her voice and directions, cautions, laughter, and song will be with you. God gives us this very special person to care for and correct us, to make sure we grow right, and not only that, to teach us what is important for this life. Mothers are not perfect; they are human, they have their own tragedies and problems, but they do see us and love us sometimes at the most awkward parts of our lives, unconditionally.

When I was active in my Chaplaincy, I saw what caused great suffering, which was when a child would not come to the bedside of a dying mother. There is a connection, a deep connection, between mother and child. Honor your mother today, and if she has passed, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for her.

God gave us all mothers for a reason, and it is, in my opinion, one of the hardest tasks on earth to be a mother. Bless all mothers. Happy Mother’s Day, and thank you, my own dear mother, Margaret.